Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-02-06
LIVERIES ALL THE RAGE.
WOMEN WHO SPEND SM ALL
FORTUNES ON FOOIMEN,


Resid"nts Who Teu Amusing stories
of Gotham as it Was in Days Long
GONE by.
NEW YORK, Feb. 5.--l shall never for
get my experience as one Of a perturbed
and agitated house committee during the
short but brilliant career OF a club that is
now among the irrevocable and lamented
dead. The club was composed OF n lot
OF genial ana agreeable men who were
distinguished by many engaging qualities
and blessed with an entire and captiva-
ing indulgence to affairs financial. The
club had taken apartments In lower Mad
ison avenue at the rate of $1,000 n year,
put in billiard and pool tables and en-
gagged the services Of a large and respect
fUl waiter who divided his time equally
between breaking crockery and glass
ware and falling from one fit of absolute
inebriety into another. The income OF
the club at this date was about $400 IA
year-on paper. We engaged boy 10 at
tend to the pool tables and one Of the
members who still retained the conf
dence of his tailor had the boy put In
livery. He was a slim, well.built and
handsome little chap, and for a week he
was the pride OF the club. His livery
was dark green with protusion OF brass
buttons, and it was exceedingly becom-
lng. AS there was a dismal hut firm con-
viCtion that the club would not be in
condition to buy llveries for long while
to come, the most intense and touching in
terest showed itself in the care Of the
livery which Willie wore. | have seen
the crack pool player of the club stop
during Dreathless interest when he was
on the point OF making an expert shot
raise his head and say argumentatiVely:
"Wlliie, how many times have | told
you to go light on the shoulders of that
coat? There you go leaning against the
wall and squirming around as though you
were clad in cast lrOn."
"Yes. and I'll telyOu another thing, my
son ," another member would say, sagely,
you're beginning to bag altogether TOO
much at the knee. When you're picking
up chalk off the floor bend your body and
not your knees"
Willie would blush and stand erect
while all interest in the game ceased In
stantly and the members fell to comment
ing on the livery earnestly. One daV it
was discovered by an acute observer that
William bad begun TO grow. He shot
out of his clothes at both ends at a rate
~
over the entire club. Some Of the mem.
Ders supplied him with cigarettes cOntin-
ually IN the wild hope that it would re-
tard his growth, while others put up
schemes OF such vast and Intricate con-
slTuctiOn for the same purpose that the
boys life became n burden to him. But
it WAS all without avail. William shot
upward, downward and outward alta rate
that deted opposition; the sleeves short
- 44,t
and the buttons on the waist OF his coat
cot nearer ana nearer his shoulders until
he finally spread beyond the cOnfining
limits of the livery altogether and APP
Feared one day at the club in another suit
of clothes. Within a week the club had
gone into bankruptcy aud the boy had
disappeared from the surface Of the town
forever.
New York Is becoming great place
for liveries and uniforms. Coacnmen are
clad with variety that is almost
grotesque. The best tailors make their
coats and they often wear many hundreds
Of dollars worth OF fur. the footmen hold
their positions solely by reason OF their
attractive proportions and they are as fas-
tidious as dandies about their attire. A
woman of fashion who lives opposite me
has about the most fetching thing In foot
men in town. He is English, about IA
years old, with ruddy cheeks, big gray
eyes and an erect and easy carriage. His
mistress seems to take special delight
in his llveries. He has a dozen of them
and all are made by the best tailor in
New YORK. This morning ne followed his
mistress to the carriage clad in a green
frock coat, corduroy trousers, white duck
OVergaiters and snarp-toed patent
leather boots, He wore the neatest of
yellow kid gloves, natty beaver hat, and
his shoulders were covered by magnifi-
cent sealskin cane. All the coachmen In
New York are in livery now and so are
most of the hackmen. The drivers of
Fifth avenue stages wear blue coats with
yellow buttons, red collars and opera
hats. Tne man VINO designed their liv-
cries should be Obliged TO wear one for
eyer. ] can imagine no greater punish
ment. Half the errand boys in town are
known as "buttOns"-whiCh means that
they wear llyeries covered with brass
buttOns-and the messenger boys, park
city and district policemen are all more
or less shOWily aJtlred. All the conduc.
tors on the street and elevated lines are
in uniform, just as are the JantOrs OF the
big public buildings and the porters in
banks and important commercial houses.
A man dressmaker on Fifth avenue has
three little boys who are clad entirely in
red livery from bead TO toot. They are
all blondes, and their yellow hair IL
banged in front and falls 10 their shoul.
ders hind. Besides all this the streets
are filed with MeXlcans, Indians, cow
boys from Buffalo BilPs shOwand visiting
delegations OF tOboRgan and snow shoe
clubs from Montreal. These with an 0c-
casional infusion OF Arab peddlers, ~
dian jugRlers aud migrants from all por.
tions Of the world encha1ce the Dictur-
esqueness Of the streets OF New York.